“I would have made up my mind faster, quicker….,” Suchitra Krishnamoorthi cuts me short as one wonders if she would like to revisit the tumultuous years of her life when she walked out of a celebrated matrimonial alliance at a young age.
Her decisions and the circumstances around them made it to her fictionalised memoir Drama Queen. Suchitra turned the bestseller into an equally popular musical play whose “refreshed” version will be staged in Delhi and Gurugram this weekend.
The play, woven into her experience on the eventful years post her divorce from director Shekhar Kapur, brings out questions on the changing ways of Indian culture and beliefs.
In this solo performance, the multifaceted Suchitra has cast noted actors, such as Sujata Kumar, Suchitra Pillai, and Arif Zakaria, who have lent their voices and are her co-actors, though they are not physically present on stage.
“It is a unique experiment for they play real people who featured in my life at different points. I took legal permission to use the names,” says Suchitra, who was recently seen in the cameo of a lawyer in Amazon Prime’s Guilty Minds.
“Usually, South Indian characters become caricaturish in Hindi cinematic space. While playing Neela, I retained the South Indian accent but imparted a certain style and class to her. It was well-received,” says Suchitra, who drew from many lawyers in her family. “Daily soaps don’t inspire me. I am keen to play short but impactful parts. People have not yet forgotten me in My Wife’s Murder.”
Indeed, they haven’t forgotten the exuberant Suchitra of Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa either. In a previous interview, she told me she was lucky to be part of the classic as she was more concerned about the heat on the sets and her cold drink than the characterisation.
“Oh, yes! Today, girls come much more prepared for the task. Better roles are being written for female actors because many of the OTT platforms and production houses are headed by women of high calibre.”
She is writing a web series but has not been able to finish it.
Coming back to the performance in Delhi, Suchitra says she has come to terms with the fact that every time she performs, she would discover something new about her character. “The same lines provide a new meaning. But the challenge of live singing makes me nervous!” Suchitra sums up.
(Drama Queen will be staged at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi, on June 4 and at Epicentre, Gurugram, on June 5.)
